Signs and Wonders. For Israel?

Jews Require a Sign

(1 Corinthians 1:22 KJV) For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

Israel was born out of signs and wonders. Israel became a national entity when God brought the out of Egypt, many signs and wonders occurred at that time. The nation of Israel had a beginning.

(Exodus 12:1-2 KJV) And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, {2} This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

Signs Confirmed Moses was chosen of God

When God called Moses, signs were given to confirm that Moses was chosen by God in order for the people to believe.

(Exodus 4:8-9 KJV) And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. {9} And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

Israel's Salvation

  1. The nation of Israel had a visible (physical) salvation.
(Exodus 14:12-13 KJV) Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. {13} And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

The Israelites saw that they were saved. The word "saved" does not have the same meaning for us as it did for them. The terminology is not the same in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Israel had a visible salvation that showed a visible demonstration of God's power. The deliverance that Israel experienced could be seen.

(Exodus 15:26 KJV) And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

The is a difference between a visible healing and an invisible healing.

  1. Israel's salvation was conditional on obedience.

God told Israel that they will see this visible salvation IF they are obedient to do what He says. It is an "IF...THEN" statement.

If you obey... then this will happen:

(Deuteronomy 28:1-3 KJV) And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. {3} Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

If you disobey...then this will happen:

(Deuteronomy 28:15 KJV) But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

Back then, in times past, Israel could look around at the physical circumstances and see if God was pleased with them.

In Leviticus 26, there is a five-fold cycle of judgement for Israel if they are disobedient. Verse 3, begins with what happens if they are obedient. Verses 14, 18, 21, 23 and 27 all tell what will happen if Israel disobeys. In each incident, God tells them exactly what will happen so when Israel looks at the circumstances, they will know exactly what state they are in, how severe their disobedience is.

(Daniel 9:1-4 KJV) In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; {2} In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. {3} And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: {4} And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;

Daniel understood why he was in the situation he was in. Leviticus 26 and Jeremiah 25 told him that there would be 70 years of desolation. Daniel knew exactly where he was in accordance to the signs that he saw. When God deals with one in signs, He will always explain exactly what those signs are.

Circumstances today are NOT signs that God is trying to tell us something. If God is using signs to tell us something His word will always tell us what the signs is. Today, everything that God wants us to know is revealed in His written Word.

When Israel receives the New Covenant, they will know what God's will is for them.

(Jeremiah 31:31-34 KJV) Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: {32} Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: {33} But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. {34} And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
  1. Israel looked for toward a spiritual salvation (future).
(Acts 3:19-21 KJV) Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; {20} And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: {21} Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Israel has to wait until Christ returns to set up His kingdom before their sins will be blotted out.

Our Salvation Today

  1. We have an INVISIBLE salvation.

The salvation we have today is invisible; therefore it cannot be a sign. Signs are something that we see. The salvation that we have is of a spiritual nature. For a list of our spiritual blessings, see Ephesians 1. There, you will see that the list includes things like blessed with all spiritual blessings, chosen, predestined, accepted, redemption, forgiveness, wisdom, etc.

  1. We get our salvation when we believe (now).

Our salvation is based on faith, not obedience to an "IF...THEN" law system. Therefore, we cannot look at the circumstances to tell us how or if God is pleased with us.

We know that we have all these things (Ephesians 1) by faith because God's word tells us that we have them. We do not have one sign that tells us we have these things because we have them by faith.

(2 Corinthians 11:23-27 KJV) Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. {24} Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. {25} Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; {26} In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; {27} In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

Paul suffered through all these things, yet he wrote to Timothy,

(2 Timothy 4:7 KJV) I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

Circumstances had no bearing on what God was doing in the life of Paul. The things Paul suffered were not pleasant or comforting but he knew that what he was doing was what God wanted him to be doing, for he understood that our time in this earthly body is temporary.

(Romans 8:23-28 KJV) And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. {24} For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? {25} But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. {26} Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. {27} And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. {28} And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Verse 25 tells us the God's answer to our physical problems, with patience wait for it. Immature spirituality always wants the results to happen immediately. It is like that prayer, "Lord, grant me patience but give it to me now!"

(2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV) (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

We know that we have the things God says He has given us because God's Word says that we have those things.

Trust what God has said and do not be persuaded by the circumstances of your life.

Reference used:
Charismatic Miracles, Gifts, Signs and Wonders, and the Bible
Signs and Wonders in Israel
Speaker: Tracy Plessinger